Title: Australia stocks higher at close of trade; S&P/ASX 200 up 0.60%

Mar 18, 2022 03:45AM ET

By: AnalysisWatch

Australian shares rose after the close on Friday as gains in the energy, IT, and commodities sectors drove stocks higher.

The S & P/ASX 200 was up 0.60 percent at the close in Sydney.

Nuix Ltd., which rose 5.93%, or 0.08 points, to trade at 1.43 at the close, was among the best performers on the S&P/ASX 200. Meanwhile, Iluka Resources Ltd gained 5.45%, or 0.55 points, to close at 10.64, while Atlas Arteria gained 5.23%, or 0.36 points, to 7.24 in late trading.

Megaport Ltd was the worst performer, falling 8.06%, or 1.14 points, to close at 13.00.

Abacus Property Group fell 5.90% or 0.21 points to close at 3.35, while Mesoblast Ltd fell 4.76% or 0.06 points to close at 1.20.

On the Sydney Stock Exchange, rising shares outweighed falling ones by 836 to 527, and 410 ended unchanged.

Atlas Arteria shares rose to a 52-week high, gaining 5.23%, or 0.36, to 7.24.

The S&P/ASX 200 VIX, which measures implied volatility of S&P/ASX 200 options, fell 6.30% to 15.49.

Gold futures for April delivery fell 0.42%, or $8.25, to $1,934.95 a troy ounce. Elsewhere in commodity trading, crude oil for April delivery rose 1.27%, or $1.31, to $104.29 a barrel, while the May contract for Brent crude rose 0.89%, or $0.95, to $107.59 a barrel.

The AUD/USD rate remained unchanged at 0.74, while the AUD/JPY rate increased 0.53% to 87.91.

Futures on the US dollar index rose 0.15% to 98.12.